About Psychologist Veronica Dixon
Psychotherapy is provided by Veronica Dixon, a Registered Psychologist (R. Psych.) licensed by the College of Alberta Psychologists.
Veronica holds a Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology from the internationally-recognized Marquette University located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and she also holds degrees from Dalhousie University in Halifax, NS, the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Regina. Research for her Master's Degree thesis at Marquette was carried out in conjunction with faculty members from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland and she presented interim results at the 10th Annual Meeting of the Organization for Human Brain Mapping (OHBM) in Budapest, Hungary.
Prior to opening her own clinic, Psychologist Veronica provided counselling services for the largest primary care network (PCN) in the province. In that capacity, she worked largely in the fields of health/ rehabilitation and clinical psychology. She has also worked as a neuroscience researcher at the Medical College of Wisconsin studying the neuro-cognitive effects of drug abuse. She worked with victims of industrial accidents and assault experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the Froedtert Hospital Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery with Dr. Brad Grunert. She worked for the British Columbia Ministry of Children and Family Development with youth living on the streets in the downtown eastside Vancouver and child protection in east Vancouver. Together, Veronica has over nine years experience as a psychotherapist, three years working in the field of community development, five years working in the field of neuro-cognitive research, and several years as a social worker in the downtown east side of Vancouver.
Veronica is a qualified trainer under the Mental Health First Aid program and has worked with Alberta Cancer Board delivering Quit Core stop-smoking programs at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre in Calgary.
Veronica’s main theoretical orientation is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. However, she is also skilled at interlacing components of Interpersonal Therapy (Assertiveness Training, Communication Training), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (http://psychcentral.com/lib/an-overview-of-dialectical-behavior-therapy/0001096), and Solution-Focused Therapy into her practice in an effort to accommodate the individuality of clients and provide the best treatment possible.
Veronica has advanced training in Hypnosis, and she regularly uses Hypnosis to complement therapy (http://www.apa.org/topics/hypnosis/). She regularly teaches various relaxation techniques and Mindfulness skills to enhance emotional regulation (http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2008/02/12/is-mindfulness-based-cognitive-therapy-effective/). Veronica is trained in the use of Imaginal Rescripting Reprocessing Therapy to assist in the processing of traumatic experiences (http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/2000-07107-000), Eye Movement Reprocessing Desensitization Therapy (EMDR) (http://www.emdr.com/general-information/what-is-emdr.html) and Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) (https://acceleratedresolutiontherapy.com/how-art-works/). These techniques are incorporated into the overall CBT framework during therapy.
In addition to being registered under the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP), Veronica is also a member of the Psychologists' Association of Alberta (PAA), and the Canadian Federation of Clinical Hypnosis (http://www.clinicalhypnosis.ca/).
As a practical and compassionate therapist, Veronica endeavours to provide support, collaboratively cultivate insight, and instil new skills and coping that will instigate behavioural change and alternative ways of thinking and responding to situations. With sensitivity, Veronica helps individuals and groups bring resolution to a wide range of life challenges and significant psychological issues. She works with clients to build their strengths and achieve their life goals. She views the therapeutic process as collaborative educational and liberating process, so that when future difficulties arise, clients have the skills to resolve whatever they encounter.
